Accidentally left fast idle throttle control up on 1967 Mercury

[jhouser]

Hi All,

I was given a boat with a 1967 950SS Mercury. I have driven newer boats but never old ones. I did not know that I was supposed to put the black lever (fast idle throttle control) down before taking it out on the water, and once out on the water it would not go fast at all. I think it must be because I did not put the lever down . I read somewhere that shifting into gear with the lever up would cause damage to the internal mechanism.

Is there a way to see if I did cause damage, and is there a way I can fix it?

 

[Alumarine]

Re: Accidentally left fast idle throttle control up on 1967 Mercury

My brother did that to my boat a few years ago.
It caused the control to break inside. In my case I just bought a used control instead of fixing it.
Sorry, but I can't remember what broke inside.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Accidentally left fast idle throttle control up on 1967 Mercury

If you didn't force the control you're are probably OK. On my control, using it with the warm-up lever raised makes it hard to shift and increase RPMs. Lower the lever and see what happens as you shift and advance the control. Only then consider tearing it apart if it's not working right.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Accidentally left fast idle throttle control up on 1967 Mercury

Probably depends on engine rpms. On my engine you can run up to 4k if you let it. If you have a rubber hub in your prop it's designed to absorb a lot of shock in the shifting process. Even at that, you should have received a jolt when shifting. You can check it out in a heartbeat if you damaged anything. If you can shift (at normal rpms listed below) and if it is smooth, engine runs out ok with no lower unit noises, you're good to go. You probably didn't hurt anything as the gears down there are high strength tempered and are tough.

To start engine, first of all set the engine to a vertical position and squeeze the bulb till firm, to fill the carb bowls with fuel. The fast idle lever is to be put full up. Choke the engine using the ign key in the ON position and pushing in and holding there. Hold for a few seconds and roll on over to START. If it doesn't light off in 5-10 seconds, check the bulb firmness and do it again till it does. As soon as it lights off get off the key unless it wants to stall. If so, just a momentary push in of the key till it catches and release. Only use the choke if necessary.

As soon as it lights off get on the fast idle and reduce the setting to somewhere around 1500-2500 rpms....hard to control with engine rpms all over the place. After a minute or two of that push the idle control all the way down and leave it there till you need it to start again. Let it warm up for a few minutes and check your tell tale while waiting before proceeding out or off the trailer.

It's best to do your engine shifting below 1000 rpms. Around 600-700 is where the mfgr. sets the idle. On my engine it's 675 +/- 25.

HTH,
Mark

 

[jhouser]

Re: Accidentally left fast idle throttle control up on 1967 Mercury

It appears to be working fine. The does not seem to be any damage. Thank you all for taking the time to answer me. It's great to be back on the water again!

Thanks!